


Experimentation

by molybdomantic



Category: Questionable Content (Webcomic)
Genre: Baked Goods, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 02:17:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13044420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/molybdomantic/pseuds/molybdomantic
Summary: Fun and games with olfactory sensors.





	Experimentation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sophie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophie/gifts).



> I'm sure that history will catch up with this story, so: this story is set around http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3605 or so.

They were sprawled over the sofa one evening (well, Faye was sprawled, Bubbles as usual sat neatly upright) when an idea hit. Faye tilted her head up to make eye contact. "Bubbles, do things apart from tea give you visions?"

Bubbles contemplated. "Citrus fruits evoke dragons, sometimes. Once I met a sphinx through the medium of an elderly camembert. And That Candle does a really remarkably good job of evoking mailmen. But nothing else is as reliable as tea."

"How about baking?" asked Faye.

"Baked products in themselves exhibit no special qualities," mused Bubbles. "But I have never experienced the process itself. I am given to understand it is more aromatic."

"That's a good enough excuse for me," declared Faye. She sat upright and put on her best serious face. "It's Sunday afternoon, we've got nowhere to be... it's baking time!"

* * *

They were kneeling on the kitchen floor with their heads in the back of a cupboard (well, Faye was, Bubbles didn't quite fit), looking for the sugar, when Marten poked his head round the door.

"Hey Bubbles, what's going on in kitchen-land? Why is Faye in the cupboard?"

"Faye is conducting an experiment on my olfactory systems."

"By hiding in the cupboard?"

"We're baking," said a muffled Faye. As if summoned by a magic word, Claire bounced in excitedly. "Baking! Can we help?"

Marten put his arm round her and smiled. "We should probably leave Faye and Bubbles to their cross-species bonding activities."

There was a thump from within the cupboard. "Marten, have you seen the sugar?"

Marten looked thoughtful. "Perhaps we used it all up that time we were trying to invent a more environmentally friendly power source for Punchbot?"

"Perhaps it has been carried off by ants?" suggested Bubbles.

Claire could no longer contain herself. "Perhaps someone's _stollen_ it!"

"Found it!" said Faye, standing up. "Now, what about the flour?"

* * *

They were _still_ looking for the flour (well, Faye was, Bubbles had already completed a full survey of all the upper cupboards) five minutes later, when there was a knock at the kitchen door.

"Hey," interrupted Hannelore. "Marten said you might need some help organising yourselves."

"Hi Hanners," grinned Faye. "We're testing Bubs' reaction to baking smells."

"Ooh, what recipe are you using?"

Faye looked sheepish. "I was planning to wing it."

"That won't do!" chastised Hannelore. "What if you succeed in finding a particularly fragrant pegasus with an _ad hoc_ recipe? How will you ever replicate your success? We must be rigorous and scientific. Now, what did you plan to make?"

"I was thinking of gingerbread," replied Faye. "It seemed like a good starting point as far as baking smells go."

"So we must consider the optimal ratio of sugar to flour, and whether to add nutmeg or not. Hmmm. I could draw a phase diagram..."

"Maybe we should begin with a proof of principle chosen randomly from the search space of gingerbread recipes," suggested Bubbles. "For instance, from a cookbook available in this kitchen. A full analysis can follow later."

"Hanners, it's about to get messy in here," warned Faye gently. "Would you like to stay, or would you prefer to plan possible future gingerbread research directions from the relative safety of the living room?"

Hannelore made a face and ran for the door.

* * *

They were measuring out the ingredients (well, Bubbles was, watching the scales super-carefully; Faye was just guesstimating) when Faye sighed happily.

"Baking is just like robot repair, basically," she opined. "First you choose the right materials, then you put them together in the right way, then you beat the result with a wooden spoon."

"I would usually choose a sledgehammer, but there is always room for personal style in robot repair," agreed Bubbles.

"Let's see. Flour, check. Sugar, check. Butter, check. Baking soda, check. Egg, check. Spices, check," listed Faye, offering the bowl to Bubbles. "Ginger, cinnamon, **and** nutmeg. You know, maybe we should start using checklists for our repair work?"

Bubbles began mixing. "It would save on errors. Though how often do we know exactly what a job would involve? On the other hand," she gestured with the spoon, "making plans for common repair cases would help keep our costs down and our prices more predictable."

Faye looked pointedly at the spoon. "Hey, inexhaustible robot lady. It's baking time now, not work time. Less talking, more mixing."

* * *

They had just evicted Pintsize from the kitchen for the _n_ th and hopefully final time when Faye decided the gingerbread was mixed enough.

"And now the fun part! We roll out the dough and decide what shapes to make the biscuits," said Faye, scattering out some flour.

"Is this an important step? Does the shape affect how they smell?" asked Bubbles.

"I wouldn't like to rule it out," answered Faye. "Baking is deep magic."

"Then I choose bunnies," said Bubbles decisively, making a fist to underscore the certainty of her decision.

"I was gonna go for robots, myself," said Faye. "I feel gingerbread human men are kinda passé. Time for someone else to get a shot at gingerbread representation." Bubbles nodded approvingly.

* * *

"Right!" exclaimed Faye. "Ready to roll."

Faye turned out the lump of gingerbread dough onto the flour, and passed Bubbles the rolling pin. Bubbles hesitated. "I am unsure as to how much pressure to apply."

"Start gentle. I can always help."

Bubbles approached the counter, rolling pin held awkwardly at arm's length in both hands. She hesitated at the counter-top. "Please?"

Faye scooted in under Bubbles' arms and gently put her hands on top of Bubbles'. "Let me demonstrate," she said kind;y, gently rolling out the gingerbread.

Faye smelled warm and comfortable and slightly floury. Behind Faye's back, Bubbles blushed.

* * *

"Mmm, that smells good!" said Claire, poking her head round the kitchen door.

"Ssshhhh!" reprimanded Faye in a stage-whisper. "Bubbles is in the zone."

".... gingerbread manticores ..... candy mermaids .... marzipan fairies ..... tiny chocolate vampires ....." murmured Bubbles, inhaling deeply.

"Yeah, I think we'll be doing this again," grinned Faye. "Now, I've set the timer to take them out of the oven, let's leave her in peace for a bit..."

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to beta-readers M and D.


End file.
